Live theater is returning to Laurens County for a full season, as the Laurens County Community Theater develops new leadership, on-line ticket purchasing and a, relatively, new home base.
Joe Timmons is the LCCT’s new executive director and the theater teacher at Clinton High School. He brings 8 years of teaching experience at Andrew Jackson High School, and Spartanburg High and Pine Street Elementary Schools with him to the CHS post. Already, he has been cleaning “the back of the theater” to make the stage and auditorium a more functional place for productions.
LCCT’s first production will be The Wizard of Oz, with auditions coming the end of this month and six shows coming in October. Auditions will be July 24 & 27, 6-8 p.m. at Clinton High School’s auditorium.
Clinton High is LCCT’s new home, as the theater produced Willie Wonka -- the show it was rehearsing when Covid struck -- there last year. “Ami Vaughn brought those pieces back together to make it work,” said Bob Link. the LCCT’s treasurer.
Now, the LCCT Board with Timmons as the go-to guy for day-to-day operations is committed to restoring and continuing a tradition of at least 45 years of live theater for Laurens County. “It has been at least 30 years in the current form,” Link said.
“The School District can’t have been more cooperative. They have been encouraging and welcoming; they want this to be a partnership that is mutually beneficial.”
It took longer that expected to revive the county’s theater company, Link said, after the Covid pandemic suspended live performances and caused large gatherings to be cancelled in an attempt to thwart the potentially deadly virus. Now, “we wanted to give it one more try,” Link said.
Timmons said the Clinton venue and support from throughout Laurens County make the revival of live theater exciting. Already LCCT envisions The Little Mermaid (January-February) and Sister Act (June 2024) as its upcoming productions.
He said having live theater at the high school for students AND for the community offers endless possibilities for people to become involved. Of course, he wants to introduce students to acting and singing, but beyond that, there is set design, painting, lights and sound, and just the business of running a theater to be explored. Some of Timmons’ students from Andrew Jackson (in the Indian Land area south of Charlotte) and Spartanburg have taken their talents to Broadway.
In addition to stage and behind the scenes talent, LCCT will recruit memberships and business sponsors. Link said, “A lot of people expressed an interest in seeing it come back and participate” in the live theater.
